LUCAS (age 18 and up readers)

Part Two of Immortal Blood Series.

Revenge.

It can either destroy you or save you.

He was a ruthless killer who’d killed so many people he had forgotten their faces. She was still a newbie and knew squat about killing, but she was prepared to protect the ones she loved no matter what the cost. When his hands encircled her neck and his fangs pierced her soft flesh, he almost forgot his task. She didn’t. She knew what she had to do to stop him. Even if she had to pay for it with her life…

Excerpt:

I knew by experience that the best way to get what I wanted was to be patient and wait for them to do something stupid. Something I was witnessing right now.

Suddenly, Sam marched out of the room. I stepped back, hiding myself, and not a minute too soon. Only a couple of seconds later she opened the front door and glanced angrily behind her, but since no one was following her she decided to slam the door as hard as she could and get out of the house. A slow smile spread over my face.

She headed to the park and I took off after her.

The moon was high and was shedding light across the narrow path. I could hear her muttering angrily and saw the dirt she kicked up whilst walking. Suddenly, she stopped and turned fiercely. I stopped, too, staying as still as I could. She cocked her head to one side, her eyes scanning the area. I held my breath. She harrumphed, slowly turned her back on me, and started to walk, much slower than before, to the nearest bench.

Great. Now I was stuck, frozen in the middle of the path, and could only hope we were the only ones enjoying the fun. Sam lifted her feet onto the bench, hugged her knees, and pressed her head onto them. She sobbed once. A dirty word almost slipped from my mouth. Was she crying? ’Cause if she was, I was so out of there. Crying girls and me were not a good match. She sobbed again and I moved an inch, hoping she wouldn’t hear me. She didn’t and I moved a little more.

Her head popped up. “Hello?” She looked around nervously.

A gust of wind rattled the trees and made the leaves on the ground dance. I saw my chance and slipped behind a large bush. Her eyes caught my shadow and she jumped up, revealing her canines. I didn’t move an inch. Her eyes moved systematically from bush to bush, tree to tree, but otherwise she was just as still as I was. The wind blew again and she sniffed. My lips curved up. There was no way she could’ve caught my scent, as I was standing upwind, and I could smell a hint of her perfume quite well. I licked my lips, and as if she sensed it, her heart raced frantically. She licked her lips, too, but as nothing happened she decided she was just imagining things and started to walk again. I seized the moment.

I slowly counted to ten in my mind, put my earphones on, and started to jog. She must’ve heard my steps and that I was getting closer, but she kept walking and kicking small stones angrily. My steady steps were not threatening in any way. Just a lonely jogger in a park. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet a normal girl would’ve panicked at this point, especially after the suspicious moment minutes ago, but not her. She knew she could take any human attacker down, so why bother to be scared. I was only six feet away and I wanted to laugh out loud. Turn around, I mentally urged her, but she stared stubbornly ahead. I did the only thing I could to get her attention. I bumped into her. Hard. She stumbled and turned fiercely.

“What the f―” The words died on her lips as her eyes met mine.

I grinned cockily. She stared at me like I was a fallen angel. My bright green eyes flashed in amusement as her eyes wandered from my eyes to my lips. She inhaled sharply and I couldn’t help a corner of my lips twitching. She pressed her hand to her mouth and then reached out to me as if she needed to touch my ruffled dark-brown, almost black hair that hung just above my broad shoulders. I stood stiffly like a statue and let her examine me. Once I had been smug about my looks, but now it was just the way things were. I knew I looked exactly the same as twenty-two years ago. Okay, not exactly, ’cause becoming a vampire had highlighted my almost perfect features, and even though I looked like a twentyish-year-old boy, I was a man now.

She drew her hand away and shook her head as the reality started to reach her brain.

“Hi.” I smiled and took the plugs out of my ears.

“Hi.” She smiled back and I knew for sure that this would be the answer to all my prayers. She was obviously the weakest link, and getting close to her would get me closer to whoever killed my brother and help me to get my revenge.

I forced a concerned look into my eyes. “Sorry I bumped into you. I didn’t mean to, but I was lost in my thoughts and didn’t expect anyone to be here this late.” I smiled boyishly.

She hesitated and took a step back. “It’s okay. You’re not a serial killer or something are you?”

I shook my head. If only she knew.

“’Cause I’m not any helpless chick you can easily knock down,” she continued.

“No worries. I’m a perfect gentleman.”

She grinned and I grinned back. Okay, I was so not a gentleman, and I think she knew it, too, but she couldn’t resist the wicked gleam in my eyes.

I held out my hand. “Lucas.”

She glanced behind her as if to make sure she was close enough to the house if I jumped on her. “Sam,” she said but didn’t take my hand.

What readers say about Lucas:

***** Author Jennifer Loiske gives us ‘Lucas’, the second novel in the ‘Immortal Blood’ series. Having read and reviewed the first in series, ‘Club Number Five’ it is time for me to admit I do not really have a penchant for vampire stories. There, I said it. Moreover, although having admitted my predisposition, I have now to confess that Author Loiske has, through her great writing of her first novel ‘Club…’, and now ‘Lucas’, won me over. By about Chapter 19 of ‘Lucas’ I was really appreciating a great read. From the First Person of both antagonists and protagonists, if you can figure out whom the ‘Goodies’ and the ‘Baddies’ are, you have guessed as much through a lot of great writing. It is Five-Stars for the writing, storytelling and for persuading this reader to consider, then appreciate a different genre… I do not think it an easy accomplishment for most authors. Well done.

***** Jennifer has a gift for making her genre readable by readers of other genre. As a middle-aged man, I read very few vampire novels, but bad-assed assassin Lucas was a very believable baddie … for me, I had a picture in my head of James Dean. As for the mother-of-all-bad-asses Jason, when I first read his name, I had a picture in my head of a sweet ten-year-old boy who played for my son’s football team many years ago (he was the only Jason I know), but that image was soon crushed as the ultimate villain left me in the same cold sweat as leading lady Sam. As always, Jennifer captures her readers with the romantic intrigue that locks together her fascinating characters. A top-class book. Looking forward to the third in the series.

***** You don’t necessarily need to have read the first book in the series to understand or enjoy this story, although I can’t imagine why anyone would not want to start from the beginning. You would be missing out on a good book if you skipped Club Number 5 and only started with Lucas. Plus, there are things that happen in the first book that resurface in the second. Although Jennifer briefly mentions the past, you’ll want to know all the details. Trust me, they are good!

I enjoyed reading Lucas as much as the first book in the series and can’t wait to read the next book in line. I am now addicted and I am sure that you will be too.

I wish I could say more, but I would just end up ruining the surprise. No fun keeping it all to myself, so start reading!!!

***** The writing is smooth and slick with a definite urgency. It didn’t seem like anyone was going to rest until Lucas would find his brothers killer. From the first page you are taken into a place where vampires and killing are a normal occurrence. I read with vigor wanting to know where this paranormal story was going to lead me. I was pretty much glued to it until I finished the last page. This suspenseful story was unique and the cast of characters lured me.

If you are a fan of vampire books you will love this series. The first two are both well done and a fun escape into the unknown.

“I found myself at the club again. It was becoming a bad habit and I should do something about it. People had started to notice me and that was bad. Soon they’d start talking, and it was only a matter of time before I’d find myself surrounded by unwanted company. Yeah, I had that kind of reaction wherever I went. Only a few had met a man with a tattoo like mine and even fewer were alive to talk about it, but word traveled and I hadn’t exactly hidden my legendary mark.”

***** “Lucas” was an amazing and exciting read. I loved it just as much as I love “Club Number Five.” I read the book in one sitting; it is definitely hard to put it down once you start reading it. Lucas wants revenge for the death of his brother and in order to find out exactly how his brother was killed he needs to get into Kate, Sam, Dane and Jonathans circle. He needs someone to focus on and he chooses Sam. His sire warns him not to touch Sam but certain events happen and Lucas does the one thing his isn’t supposed to do. Revenge is sweet and Lucas will stop at nothing to get it but in the process he lets his desire for Sam cloud his judgment and it ends up costing him in the end. Everyone believes the saying an eye for an eye and no one would have guessed the Jason was behind the whole thing. He had his eye on the prize and he’s determined to make it his one way or another. I cannot wait for the next book in the series. I look forward to see what will happen with Dane, Sam and Jason. I highly recommend this book to anyone who read and love “Club Number Five,” and if you haven’t read this series yet I highly suggest pick it up; you will absolutely love it.

Purchase a copy of Lucas:

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